A series of middle ear inflammatory diseases is collectively called otitis media, which includes two most common diseases: acute otitis media (AOM) and acute otitis media with effusion (OME). Patients with acute otitis media may have fever and feel pain, and hearing disorders would usually be happened. However, if it does not completely be cured, the acute otitis media will be converted into otitis media with effusion or chronic suppurative otitis media, moreover, it will result in permanent damage to the ear drum, collapse, or cholesteatoma. Some studies showed that if young children have otitis media for a long time, they will cause problem of hearing impairment easily and reduce the learning ability.
The diagnosis of otitis media is usually depended on the medical staffs, who assess through ear mirror, endoscopy, visual inspection of the appearance of the ear drum, or patient behavior, and classify the type otitis media. For example, the clinical symptoms of acute otitis media include ear pain and other clinical symptoms. On the other hand, children often pull the ears, increase the crying frequency and have poor quality of sleep, or sometimes they would loss appetite or have fever. The symptom of acute otitis media with effusion is observation of liquid, which is not caused by infection, in ear over 3 months; Moreover, OME means ear inflammation has been more than two weeks, which would lead the ear began to suppuration, but this symptom could be caused by acute otitis media complications.